Rusty Wallace one of five newest nominees for NASCAR HOF

Combined dispatches

Ray Fox, Anne B. France, Wendell Scott, Ralph Seagraves and Rusty Wallace were announced Wednesday as the latest names to join the 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction. Voting day is scheduled May 23, when an appointed panel will select the five newest members for enshrinement in early 2013.

Trucks

There’s no way to figure out just how much Andy Hillenburg has put into Rockingham Speedway, the track he bought at auction for $4.4 million with no guarantee he’d ever return racing to “The Rock.”

Between the money spent to open a dormant race track, the long hours required of a track operator and the lessons learned in understanding how to promote races, Hillenburg has made an unbelievable commitment to the Rockingham, N.C., racetrack.

“All I have,” he said when asked what he’s put into the track. “Everything I ever worked for I’ve put into this, because I believe in what we are doing.”

NASCAR makes its official return to Rockingham on Sunday when the Trucks Series races around the beloved mile-long flat oval. It will be the first NASCAR-sanctioned event since 2004.

Nationwide

A lack of sponsorship forced Roush Fenway Racing to sideline Trevor Bayne for this week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, even though he’s ranked fourth in the Nationwide Series standings.

IRL penalties

James Hinchcliffe and Sebastien Bourdais will be docked 10 starting spots at this weekend’s IRL race, punishment for unapproved engine changes.